


Her and Anna and Abe

by TheManyFacesofJester



Category: Turn (TV 2014)
Genre: Cats, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-02-22
Packaged: 2018-09-26 08:46:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9877601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheManyFacesofJester/pseuds/TheManyFacesofJester
Summary: Mary did not adopt a cat, but was adopted herself by a cat who unfortunately already has an owner.





	

To be perfectly clear, Mary did not steal anyone's cat. Stealing insinuates that something was willfully taken. Mary didn't _take_ anyone’s cat, rather she was _chosen_ by someone's cat. There's quite a difference.

It started in the hammock in summer. The sun danced back and forth behind the clouds, but it was still bright enough for Mary to bring a wide brimmed sunhat out to cover her face while she rocked back and forth in the breeze. She was well on her way to falling asleep when something soft brushed her limp wrist as it dangled outside the hammock. She might have jumped if she hadn't been drained from the sunbathing and instead leaned over to look at what had touched her. All she expected to see was a stray bit of leaf or a windblown flower, but instead she saw a fluffy black tail swaying up and down the side of her hammock before disappearing underneath it. Sitting up a bit, Mary twisted herself ever so gently so her head poked under the hammock. There she was greeted by the clear blue eyes and dark fluffy body of a rather large cat. The animal turned its head left once, then right, then poked his nose up to Mary's and gave her a lick. His tongue felt like sandpaper but she didn't move.

"Where did you come from?" she said, using one hand to keep her sunhat on and the other to reach out to feel for a collar. Her body, however, was now more outside the hammock than inside and as a result she was flipped unceremoniously out of the swing and onto the soft green ground. It was to be expected that the cat scampered a distance away, and Mary felt too much of a fool to move so she instead lay on the ground and tried to motivate herself to get back up. Yet while she waited to stand she saw the cat coming back, slowly but surely, so she continued to lie there until he was close enough for her to touch him. She immediately felt a collar and propped herself up on her elbows to read it.

"Abe," she mumbled out loud. There was no other information on the collar, so she dropped it and used the same hand to pet the now purring animal.

"Now how in the world did you get here?" Mary asked, looking around her garden. There was a tall white fence all around the garden area and she was always careful to check for holes that would ruin the aesthetic. Figuring they were at a certain point in their relationship, given several minutes of petting, Mary scooped up Abe in her arms and began searching the perimeter of her garden to figure out how the cat had gotten in. Abe didn't seem to mind as he purred and pawed at Mary's golden hair.

A turn about the garden still had Mary stumped until she leaned against the tree in the corner of her yard. The tree grew up and over the garden and was practically touching a tree outside of the fence.

"You climbed your way in, didn't you?" she said, using her nails to softly scratch between the dark cat's ears. It was then that he started to wriggle in her arms, demanding release. She gently placed him down on the grass, careful to avoid placing him on top of the flower garden that encircled the tree, and watched as he used a combination of clawing and jumping to get to the top of the tree and disappear over the fence. Mary held her sunhat to her head as a breeze blew by and waved farewell to her new furry friend.

That was not her last interaction with Abe the cat, however, as his fluffy body began to be a regular staple in Mary's garden. He ruined a few of her flowerbeds, which Mary found unfortunate, but she was fond of the company. She read him several passages of _Little Women_ during afternoon tea and made a toy for him out feathers and a stick that he enjoyed chasing. When he was particularly well behaved she would carry him into the hammock with her and they would take a pleasant nap in the shade. Abe never stayed for too long, coming and going as he pleased at sporadic times. He looked well groomed, so Mary had to assume he traveled between his owner’s home and her own, where he looked to be taken care of properly. She didn't mind so much, though she did miss her furry companion when he was gone for extended absences.

The season changed gradually from summer to autumn, her garden sprouting more crops than flowers as leaves sprinkled down from the surrounding trees, making more of a mess than Mary wanted to clean up. As the wind brought a chill with it Mary expected her feline friend to make fewer visits, and yet he showed up just as often.

"A little cold out for you, isn't it?" Mary said as she knelt beside Abe to ruffle his fur. It felt thicker than before and Mary knew his winter coat was coming in. It wasn't much thicker, but it would be enough for now to keep him warm in the autumn chill. The two sat near each other on the leaf covered ground. Mary tended to a small weed infestation while Abe rolled around on his back, prompting Mary to rub his tummy while she worked.

It was in these months that Mary found herself purchasing small bundles of canned cat food. She figured it couldn't hurt to give Abe something to eat while he was visiting. She found he liked tuna and chicken, but wouldn't touch anything with mixed meats. After she began feeding him he started coming more often and staying for longer. It occurred to Mary that he probably left before to get food, but since he was getting that there he no longer had to worry about it.

The autumn of that year was colder than usual and Mary really had no business being outside at that time and in such poor conditions, but she went anyway to see her little friend. She held his fluffy body close to her so they could warm each other and she spent a great deal of time trying to orient herself outside in such a way that the wind wouldn't hit her too harshly.

The first snowfall of the winter season was beautiful, with fragile snowflakes dancing through the sky to cover her garden in a thick sheet of white. It was a lovely sight to see but a sad one as well, given that Abe would likely remain inside his owner’s house for the snow. Several snow filled days past and built relative mountains of white powder in Mary's garden, so she stayed inside and made marshmallow hot chocolate cooked just hot enough to touch her soul and watched Hallmark movies in the dark.

It wasn’t until one night, when she was just about to head to the living room to relax, that she heard a soft mewing at her backdoor. Peering out into the darkness she saw a small black shadow atop a sea of pure white snow. All she had to do was open the door and Abe came flying in, bringing in a hard breeze of winter air. Mary shut the door and wandered over to the shivering animal in her kitchen. Her bathrobe was removed quickly and wrapped around his body as she carried him to the living room to sit with her in front of the heater. She worried and worried and worried until three hours passed and he began to purr again.

Abe stayed with Mary for several weeks as the snow sporadically fell from the sky and the cold dominated the air. There was a quiet fear in Mary that Abe's owner would be worried about him, but once Abe returned to them healthy and well they would surely know someone had taken care of him for a bit. In the meantime Mary grew comfortable with a domestic life that included a cat. She pet his soft fur as she read in the afternoon, and fed him bits of her meals as she ate lunch and dinner, and grew accustomed to the thudding of paws scampering around her house in the night. It felt peaceful and sweet.

On a nicer day than she had seen since the winter started, a knock came from outside, and a pretty brunette bundled up in a thick coat and gloves stood on the other side of the door.

"Good afternoon," Mary said pleasantly once she'd opened the red door, using one hand to hold the knob and the other to keep the pine wreath from falling as it was apt to do.

"Hi, sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for a missing cat," the woman explained and Mary felt awful. "He's all black and might have a collar on him that says-"

"Abe?" Mary finished and the woman before her looked somewhat relieved.

"You've seen him?"

"I- Well yes, actually-" It was during Mary's attempted explanation that Abe appeared at the door and leapt down the step so he was purring and rubbing against his obvious owner.

"Oh," the woman said, reaching down to pick up the fluffy animal.

"He showed up at my house during the first storm and I didn't want to send him back out into the cold," Mary explained. She thought the other woman was upset, but instead she laughed.

"Does he come here often?" she asked as Abe settled into her arms.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. He's been visiting since the summer," Mary answered. "He started staying longer when I started giving him food though."

The woman outside laughed again and Abe didn't seem to like the movement much so he wiggled his way out of her arms and went back inside.

"He's a funny cat," she said, watching through the doorway as Abe curled up on the couch. “I suppose since you’re feeding him he’s got it in his head that he has two owners.”

“I’m sorry about that, he’s your cat, I shouldn’t have been taking care of him, I’ll get him for you to bring home,” Mary babbled as she meandered inside to try and pick up Abe, who was decidedly against being picked up at the moment so he trotted off to another room in the house. “Oh, for heaven’s sake…”

“Can I come in?” the woman asked, having already stepped inside regardless.

“Oh, of course, I’m sorry. Would you like something to drink? I just made hot chocolate if you want some, Ms.…”

“Anna,” the stranger said, answering the unspoken question, “and I would love some if you have it,” she added, answering what was actually asked.

“I’m Mary. I’ll get you a mug and you can try and track down Abe.”

Anna made some attempts to locate her cat, but he evaded her at every turn and in the end she resigned herself to sit and have her drink and talk with Mary while they waited for him to return from hiding.

And talk they did, for four hours and three minutes exactly, about a variety of things. They started with talking about Abe, but they found themselves moving through conversations like fingers across silk and before they knew it the sun had set and the bell tower could be heard from downtown ringing out seven chimes.

They both laughed at how late it had gotten and made motions to get up. But as they stood they noticed a flurry of white outside the clear sliding door to Mary’s porch. Somewhere in the past few hours a snowstorm had begun and the unplowed street was covered in fluffy stuff.

“I might have to wait until a plow comes through,” Anna said hopelessly as she watched the storm from the window.

“That’s alright, I don’t mind having company for dinner,” Mary replied, and with that she was off to make a meal for two. The sound of someone entering the kitchen led to the reemergence of Abe as he hoped to get a few nibbles of whatever was being created. Chicken parmesan sounded good to Mary and she began preparations as Anna joined her. After offering to help – it was the least she could do – they talked and cooked and skirted around the floor to avoid trotting on any cat’s paws and had a wonderful time from then to the end of the meal. Abe did get a few bites of food from both of the women at the table, which seemed to please him excessively.

The wind outside grew louder as the evening grew later, and still no plow came down Mary’s winding street. It was assumed by both women that Anna was going to have to spend the night.

“The spare room should be all made up,” Mary said as they cleared the dishes. “It has a TV and an electric blanket if you’d like either of those.”

“Sounds perfect,” Anna said. They both got ready to sleep around each other, Mary providing Anna with a toothbrush and several options for pajamas.

“I haven’t had a sleepover since I was a little girl,” Anna told Mary as she brushed her teeth. Mary laughed from the couch, her whole body shaking with the effort as she playfully sat with her knees to her chest. Abe the cat, apparently exhausted from the labors of eating was flopped down in the middle of the living room, his whole body stretched out as he slept. When Anna was finished preparing for bed, however, she snapped her fingers two times and Abe jumped up to follow her.

Mary watched as Anna said her good nights and was followed by Abe to the spare room. From her room she could hear Anna talking to her cat.

“You’ve had quite an adventure, haven’t you?” she said softly. “You scared me half to death being gone that long though. But you like Mary, don’t you.”

There was a pause where Mary could faintly hear a meow from Abe.

“Well you have good taste because I like her too.”

A warm sensation went over Mary and she fell asleep to the sound of distant purring.

The morning came with the sound of a snow plow screeching up the street. Both women rose as early as could be expected and Anna prepared to say good bye. Abe was not of the mood to hide that particular day, so Anna had no further reason to stay.

“He must like you a lot,” Anna said as she bundled herself up in her coat and gloves once more.

“We get along,” Mary responded, aware she was referencing the cat.

“I told you yesterday that he might think he has two owners,” she continued. “I don’t think it’d be too bad if he did.”

Mary cocked her head, slightly confused.

“What do you mean?”

“I think you need him as much as he needs you,” Anna said quickly, apparently noticing how quiet Mary’s life was. “And besides, I don’t think could stop him from coming here if I tried. He likes you too much.”

“And what about you?” Mary asked, the hint of a grin on her face. Anna tossed Mary a look followed by a smile.

“I like you very much too, if you need to know.”

The grin got wider. The house felt bigger. The world got smaller.

“So, what now? We share Abe?” Mary said, picking up the fluffy dark cat to hand to Anna.

“Well, if we don’t then I won’t have any more excuses to come and see you,” Anna said, taking the cat gingerly from Mary’s hands and stuffing him into her jacket in an effort to protect him from the cold of the outdoors they were headed into. Anna nodded and headed out to her car that was parked across the street. Mary hoped she wasn’t joking about returning and she shut the door to do nothing but wait for another visit.

Anna was not joking, and was back soon enough with Abe in tow claiming he’d gotten antsy around the house and figured he wanted to be here for a while. They talked, had dinner, exchanged addresses and numbers, and Anna left again leaving Abe under Mary’s care. Mary understood what Anna meant by antsy, as he had behaved strangely before Anna came to claim him the first time. Mary thought then that he wanted to go outside, but she realized now that that behavior likely meant he wanted to go to his other home. So off she went several weeks later to deposit Abe at Anna’s house, where they talked, had dinner, and said good bye too soon to be satisfied.

The end of winter came when Abe was at Anna’s house, so Mary had dropped him off assuming it would be a while before she saw him again, but as she took a turn about her garden to begin the growing season again she saw a black figure in the branches of her tree.

Spring had arrived, and the day was pleasant and beautiful, with a warm sun shining through a clear blue sky. He could come and go as he pleased once more. This time, however, he brought his other owner with him. Anna seemed to understand that Abe’s absence could mean he was at only one other place, and she brought herself to the outskirts of Mary’s white fence.

“Hello there. Our cat came visiting, so I figured I would too!” she cried from the side and Mary ran over to the gate to unlock it, noticing a picnic basket in Anna’s hands.

A blanket was acquired and amongst the blooming flowers and green grass Anna and Mary sat in the garden, Mary’s sunhat nearly blowing away once or twice, Anna’s flip flops disappearing into the grass as she kicked them off, and Abe's soft body napping peacefully on the picnic blanket as he purred in a soft and content sort of way. There was something beautiful about the picturesque scene Mary knew they were creating right then, the image of the three of them in the middle of the garden enjoying the warmth and joy of each other’s company. Just her and Anna and Abe the cat.

**Author's Note:**

> We needed more MaryAnna, so here we are! I banged this out at work because I really like the idea of Abe being just a cat. Kind of like Mary in The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, amiright? Anyway, I hope you liked it and I hope it encourages all the rest of you to put some more Mary Anna content out there! I'm starved for it, and we need more! Thanks for reading though! May we meet again


End file.
